On November 2, 2026, CATL announced strategic and product cooperation agreements with Blue Vector Intelligent Technology to develop aviation batteries for the Hangzhou-based electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft maker. Blue Vector selected CATL as its exclusive battery partner.
The partnership will focus on the Skyla V30, developed by Skyla Aviation, Blue Vector’s eVTOL business. CATL will develop custom batteries for the aircraft. The companies did not disclose the agreements’ value, battery specifications or supply timeline.
The Skyla V30 is a six-seat, all-electric tiltrotor aircraft designed for intercity passenger transportation. Its first full-scale technology demonstrator, designated A/C01, rolled out on August 31 this year in Harbin, Heilongjiang province. Plans call for systems integration, ground testing and tilt-transition flight tests as the project moves into full-aircraft engineering validation.
Blue Vector said on September 24 that it had signed pre-sales orders for 60 V30 aircraft during the Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou. These included an order for 30 aircraft from Singapore-based aviation operator Moon Aero, representing the V30’s first overseas pre-sales orders. Blue Vector said cumulative pre-sales had exceeded 100 aircraft since the model’s global debut in July. The company plans to continue engineering validation and airworthiness certification work.
V30 Pre-Sales Exceed 100 as CATL Becomes Exclusive Battery Partner
CATL became Blue Vector’s exclusive battery partner after the August 31 rollout, advancing custom V30 batteries as cumulative pre-sales orders exceeded 100 aircraft.
The financing runway matters: 5 funding rounds in nearly 6 months raised more than 400 million yuan for research and development.
Blue Vector is also raising funds for research and development. On June 30, it announced a funding round exceeding 100 million yuan ($14.9 million), jointly led by Shenzhen Capital Group and an unnamed industry-backed US dollar fund. At that point, its eVTOL business had completed five funding rounds in nearly six months, raising more than 400 million yuan in total.
The agreement expands CATL’s electric aviation activities. In August 2024, CATL signed an agreement with Shanghai-based Autoflight to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in the aircraft maker and jointly develop eVTOL batteries. In November 2025, Autoflight unveiled a floating vertiport jointly developed with CATL that combined an eVTOL platform, energy storage and charging systems on a battery-powered vessel.
Source: CnEVPost
